


Unbreakable

by pxlblack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkward Romance, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Hogwarts, OOC, Pre-Hogwarts, Slow Romance, this is not my best work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-02 00:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 14,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16775584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pxlblack/pseuds/pxlblack
Summary: Following an incident on New Year's Eve, Draco Malfoy accidentally agrees to seduce Hermione Granger under the Unbreakable Vow. Is the curse really as they say, unbreakable?[DISCLAIMER lol. I originally published this on fanfiction.net in 2014, but I am currently editing/rewording it.]





	1. Chapter 1

The night was wild with talk, laughter and drink in the Slytherin common room. There were ten more minutes until the new year and Draco Malfoy did not seem to have any plans for the immediate future other than sticking his tongue down Pansy Parkinson's throat. His fellow classmates cheered him on as the night progressed and he swigged more and more alcohol, attempted sharing an unlit cigarette with his girlfriend and invaded her personal space further. As the rank stench of alcohol mingled with Pansy's lips again, her nose wrinkled and she pulled away, half-irritated, half-amused.

"Gross. Do you have to do that?" 

"Do... what? My dearest flower, speak." 

"You're _pissed_ , Draco."

"And?" He took another swig of his drink arrogantly. "The night is alive. _I_ am alive. I'll make you feel alive." Draco leered at her, and she backed away in mock disgust.

"Listen, I'm going to go to bed, alright? I'll watch the fireworks from my window. Good night." Pansy kissed him on the cheek and left.

Drunken moans and boos erupted from several people as Pansy left, Draco himself being one of them. She stuck a finger up at them playfully and ascended upstairs.

"Why d'you like her?" Blaise asked, smirking. He knew that his friend was completely wasted and enjoyed seeing him making a fool of himself.

"She's hot, you know?" Draco Malfoy stumbled drunkenly in an attempt to trace her figure. "Like... _really_ hot. But not like-"

"-Who?" Blaise said sharply. "Not like who?"

Draco shook his head wildly, his pale blonde hair falling in tendrils down his face.

"Aww, come on Draco, tell us!"

"Yeah, tell us Malfoy!"

"Tell us, tell us, tell us!" Blaise started up a lairy chant. Soon every boy in the common room became part of the chorus, the sweaty swarm of faces surrounding him, drawing closer and closer...

"-All right, all right," Draco threw up his arms in mock defeat. "GRANGER! Granger is so, so..."

The room erupted in uncontrollable laughter. The idea that Draco Malfoy- of _all_ people- would like Hermione Granger, seemed an entirely alien concept. Blaise, clutching his sides, put a hand on Draco's shoulder to steady himself. "You sure, mate?"

"Yeah," Draco said honestly. "She's stunning. I'd give _anything_ to make her like me."

"What would you give to make her like you?"

"I don't _really_ want her to like me... I just wanna... you know...?"

"And what would you do?"

"Well, I dunno-"

"-Would you make the Unbreakable Vow?"

The room went silent, and nervous glances were exchanged around the room. An Unbreakable Vow was not something to be taken lightly, everyone knew that. And watching Draco Malfoy stagger hazily around the room, a drink in one hand, made them heavily question his ability to consent. However, Blaise was Draco's best friend and also one of the most popular boys in school. He had a natural self-confidence and an air of superiority that made him somewhat of an icon-figure in Hogwarts. No one went against his authority.

Draco Malfoy broke into a grin. "Why not?"

The two friends quickly grasped hands.

"Will you, Draco Malfoy, in pursuit of Hermione Granger, stop at nothing and seduce her until she has fallen for you?"

"Sure." Draco slurred. "Whatever."

"Then it is settled. I'm giving you six months." Blaise muttered an incantation and his wand ignited a silvery blue which snaked around their wrists for a few moments, then faded. Draco laughed loudly, a guffaw that immediately set everyone at ease again. The clock chimed midnight and fireworks erupted in the sky.

"Drinks all around!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowow thank u for the love on the first chapter! please let me know if u like it so far x

"Fuck."

Draco rolled out of bed and fell onto the wooden floor boards. His head was throbbing.

It seemed like he hadn't fallen asleep at all, but Draco Malfoy was surprised to see that everyone had already gone down to classes, which he'd slept through.

After a few minutes of lying face down on the floor, he hoisted himself up and shuffled towards the bathroom. His eyes were red, his sore lips were parched and his hair was greasy and smelt like vomit. He groaned and stumbled blindly towards the shower.

When he was washed and dressed in his robes, he thought back to the night before. Leering at his girlfriend, the drinking, Hermione, the Unbreakable Vow-

" _Fuck_!"

He ran a hand through his hair and pounded his head with a fist which did not help at all with his hangover. But he didn't care anymore. He didn't even _like_ Granger like that... or at all, come to think of it. And Blaise did the Unbreakable Vow. Blaise-

His thoughts trailed over to Blaise, and his hands clenched in anger.He fumbled under his bed for a hangover pill and swallowed it quickly, shuddering. It was bitter and hard, but the pounding in his head ceased.

Draco Malfoy felt like killing Blaise Zabini. If Hermione didn't fall for him, then he would die...

His whole body was shaking from anger. Grabbing his bag and pulling on his robes, he ran out of the room and out of the Slytherin common room towards the main hall, which he was almost certain Blaise would be eating lunch in.

And he was. In fact, everyone was. Laughing and joking without him, which made him more angry. Malfoy stormed up to the table as fast as he could when-

"Malfoy!" Hermione yelled. He collided with her, spilling pumpkin juice all down her front.

"Wotcher," Draco said quietly, and helped her gather broken plates, even though he was more inclined to spew out thousands of the foulest words he could think of. "Don't hurt yourself."

"What's it to you, Malfoy?" Hermione snapped, her brown eyes blazing.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to bash into you."

Hermione Granger only sniffed and turned away, but Draco was persistent and grasped her wrist, pulling her back. She pulled free as if she'd been stung.

"I mean it!"

"Okay! Fine... whatever..." Hermione used a simple charm to repair her plates and then hurriedly joined Harry and Ron.


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks had passed since Draco Malfoy had made the Unbreakable Vow and he was no closer to meeting his target than he had ever been. Being a Malfoy, naturally Draco would have everything handed to him on a silver platter. But pursuing something alone was strange, unfamiliar...

...but undeniably _fun._ As Draco Malfoy came to terms with his curse, he realised he could've done a lot worse than Hermione Granger. She was very, very pretty. Her skin was a soft creamy pink and her large brown eyes matched her long brown hair perfectly, which hung in loose curls down her shoulders. But there was always a thought that wouldn't stop eating away at the back of his brain-

_She's a Mudblood._

He rolled his eyes. It’s not like anyone cares about that anymore.

_You do._

No I don't!

_It would be like dishonouring your heritage._

So what?

_You'd be an outcast... a disappointment._

If I don't, I'll die!

_Would it be worth living, though?_

"GET OUT!" Draco shouted, knocking his quill ink over. It spilt onto his desk, splotching his History of Magic work black.

"Mr Malfoy!" Scolded Professor Binns, siphoning the ink off his book irritably. "Stop daydreaming and pay attention! Do you have _any_ idea what I am talking about?"

"Er- no- sorry... sorry Sir."

"Take notes. Now!" The ghost snapped, and continued droning on and writing on the blackboard. Inside his head, the argument reigned on. But this time, from a different perspective;

_What about Pansy?_

Oops.

_Yeah, okay, what will you do about her?_

I don't know- I'll think of that when I get somewhere with Hermione.

_Will you break up with her?_

Well, I'll have to, won't I?

_But there's-_

"Mr Malfoy!" Professor Binns called his attention onto him again. "Pay attention!"

"I was, Professor." Wrong move.

"Then, please tell me, what was the name of our founder Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter?"

"Err.." He looked around the class wildly for inspiration and his eyes locked with Hermione's. He was about to look away, but she was mouthing something to him. The answer.

"Helena, Professor!"

Hermione's eyes stayed raised for a few moments as Professor Binns became immediately bored and changed the subject.

"Now, we are going to be studying a new topic this term... the history of muggles. Hopefully, it will give you an insight into how people unlike you used to, and still, live. I have assigned you partners, so you can choose a presentation of your choice on the topic.

"Weasley and Patil,

"Longbottom and Lovegood,

"Zabini and Brown..."

After a seemingly endless list, only one more pair were left.

"And Granger, you go with Malfoy, that ought to set him straight."

Malfoy flashed a brief smile towards Hermione, but she was looking away. Inside, he was fit to burst. This was the opportunity he had been needing.

When the bell rang, Hermione was first to get up. She gathered all of her belongings and quickly flounced from the room. Malfoy, stumbling in his haste to catch her, ran also.

"Granger? _Granger!_ "

She stopped and looked at him expectantly. "Yes?"

"Thanks for, y'know, telling me the answer in class. I appreciate that."

"That's alright."

There was a very awkward pause as Draco ran his fingers though his hair. "So, er, when are we going to be starting the assignment?" He asked.

"Oh! Well, I was thinking of going to the library tonight, I already have loads of books on muggles from Ron and I can ask Mum and Dad some stuff too... I guess this isn't your idea of fun, is it?"

Draco sneered (then remembered that he was meant to be seducing her and turned it into a chuckle). "I don't really care about that stuff much nowadays... when are we going?"

"Well, as I said, I'm going tonight..?" Hermione shrugged. Draco nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll see you at eight, then." He turned and headed for the dungeons, not looking back.

"Bye, Malfoy," Hermione called.

—

It grew closer and closer to eight o'clock, and with every moment that passed, the increasingly nervous he would get. He'd been ready and sitting in the chair closest to the door for over an hour. His clothes were perfectly picked out: a dark shirt and jeans (his robes could go away for the night). This needed to go perfectly, he kept repeating to himself. If not, he could lose his life.

Draco hadn't talked to Blaise since the New Year's party. He hadn't wanted to. Instead, he ignored him, and Blaise did the same, which had suited them both just fine.

When the clock eventually chimed eight, and he sprang up and headed towards the library.

It was dimly lit, a few candles hovered in the air above the shelves. As he'd suspected, Hermione was already there, absorbed in a book.

'Granger!' He called. Madam Pince glared at him. He lowered his voice. 'Granger!'

Her head jerked up and she put her book in a bag, and produced three hefty looking books from the floor. 'So, I checked out several books from the restricted section, they should provide us with some in depth information about the Muggle industry...' She scanned through the book pile briefly before handing Draco a book; it was large and old, with a faded gold spine. He blew the dust off of it and opened it up.

'" _A Compact History of Muggles in the 20th Century for Magical Folk"_... don't you know plenty about this topic anyway, Granger?'

She glared at him. 'Just read it.'

'I wasn't trying to offend you!' Draco snapped, and he opened the book and started reading. This was going to be hard. After a couple of hours of careful note taking and reading, Draco's eyes were drooping with fatigue. From the looks of it, Hermione was pretty tired, too.

'Okay, I think that's enough studying for today. What do you think, Malfoy?'

'Yeah.' He rubbed his hands together. They were numb.

'Okay, well, I should get going now.' Hermione said.

'I'll walk you?' Draco offered, then held his breath. There was a moment of hesitant silence, and then she nodded.

'Sure. Um- thanks.'

The pair walked down the corridors awkwardly. After attempting conversation which failed miserably, they lapsed into silence until they were outside the Gryffindor common room.

'Okay, erm- thanks for walking me back, Malfoy.' Hermione half smiled, then turned away quickly.

'Anytime.' He was surprised that she couldn't hear the reluctant sarcasm in his voice, but she nodded vaguely. Why wasn't she going inside? The portrait was open.

'So...' Hermione nodded towards the ground. Draco's heart was beating faster and faster. She looked up at him in the dim lighting and he instinctively moved forward and kissed her.

Time stopped. He slid his pale fingers onto her skin, tentatively touching the smooth nape of her neck. He drew her closer and looked at her- before pulling away in surprise. Her eyes were filled with tears and when she blinked, they spilled over.

'What- what's wrong?' He asked anxiously.

Hermione shook her head. 'Please just- please leave me alone, Malfoy.' She covered her mouth with her hand, muffling a sob.

Draco was stricken. 'Hey, I'm sorry, Hermione- please don't-'

'Goodnight, Malfoy.' She said, before turning her back to him and climbing through the portrait hole.

'Hermione, wait-' But she was gone. He half considered going in to talk to her, but by the look the Fat Lady was giving him, he daren't. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and angrily kicked at the wall. _'This is crazy!'_


	4. Chapter 4

The next day in no way matched Draco's mood. It was a clear blue sky, with the sun streaming through the closed curtains. It was around midday when he woke up, and everyone was outside basking in the sunshine- in _January_. He groaned, rubbing his eyes as he clambered out of bed and looked outside. He scanned the view from his window, leaning his head against the glass pane. He spotted Potter, Weasley and Granger immediately, sitting by a tree together. His eyesight wasn't perfect, and the harsh light made him squint, but there was something about that image of the Golden Trio- maybe Harry's distinctly uncomfortable look on his face-

Oh.

That was why.

As Draco pressed his face against the window further. Even the fatigue sweeping over him couldn't stop the shock that was settling on his face.

Granger and Weasley.

 _That's why she didn't want to kiss me,_ he thought. He felt faint, dozens of thoughts were buzzing through his head as he watched in thinly veiled horror as the couple kissed fondly. A large part of him didn't care. Another part of him was angry, because now it was harder for him to get to her. And there was another part to it... something he couldn't quite place... jealousy, maybe?

No. It couldn't be- the Malfoy's didn't _get_ jealous.

He stared at the angry red mark on his forearm, where the Unbreakable Vow was made.

It made him think about the gravity of the situation. What scared him the most was the fact that he didn't know how long he had. Most lasted about six months, but Blaise never specified. It could be tomorrow. It could be years.

Tears slipped down his face. It was hopeless. Nothing he could do would be able to change the fact that Hermione Granger hated him, and _he_ made her hate him. _He did this._

And he would make himself pay for it.

—

Draco walked down the dimly lit corridors, his head down. Silently, he slipped into the bathroom, quickly looking behind him to make sure no one saw.

He had gone there only a couple of times before, but this was strange for him- because this was a girls toilet.

However, it was common knowledge that this bathroom in question had been abandoned. No one went in there unless they could help it, for fear of meeting Moaning Myrtle, the moping school-girl ghost who hid in one of the cubicles. Luckily, she wasn’t there today.

The sun was still streaming in from the windows, but he wanted to shut this all out. He could not have dealt with the shame of anyone witnessing him cry, because he was a _Malfoy,_ they were omnipotent, they were superior…

He wasn't even sure that this was true, anymore. Since his father had got his place revoked as the governor for the school a few years back, people treated Draco like dirt. At first it wasn't that big of a deal to him, after all, the Slytherins still listened. But he had felt the isolation wrapping around him, making a protective blanket for all of these years, for his loneliness.

He splashed water over his face to conceal the tears. It was cold. He shuddered, and then poured more, over his head and then his hair. Suddenly, his body was wracked with sobs, shaking his body with sadness. He couldn't take this anymore, this- this- not _knowing,_ this _pain-_ it was so horrid.

Draco rolled up his sleeves and grasped his wand from his back pocket, holding it up to his chin. He could hurt himself, right now. He could _kill_ himself, effectively, and no one would ever know. Because no one would care.

Not even Potter. Once, they had been mortal enemies, once... but even know he had better things to do. Because he had Voldemort to think about more often that not.

He dropped his wand. It fell with a loud clatter to the ground. He didn't need it. He could hurt himself without it.

Without thinking, he quickly brought his head forward to the mirror and head-butted it. He could feel it smash at the contact, hundreds of tiny pieces shattered on the ground. Draco slipped under the sink, his head swimming. He put a hesitant finger to his forehead, vaguely feeling his skin until he felt the wet patch. It went from his left eyebrow to his right temple. Strangely, he couldn't feel the pain. He only felt numb.

He shut his eyes. He wished, in that moment, he could just die. Get it all over with. Then, at least he wouldn't have to deal with the godforsaken Unbreakable Vow.

 _He would be the second person to die in this bathroom,_ he thought darkly. _Maybe he could share a cubicle with Myrtle._

He could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness, his hand slipping back to his side, his eyes closing involuntarily.

 _This isn't so bad,_ Draco thought. _Whatever this is..._

'Hello?' called a nervous, yet familiar voice. 'I- I heard a crash... who's in there?'

This was the sole factor that prevented Draco from falling into the unconscious. He groaned, and then recognised the voice- it was Hermione Granger.

'Go away!' He said. He tried to make it into a sneer, but it was too difficult for him.

He heard footsteps coming towards him, and then a gasp. _'Malfoy!'_

He closed his eyes again. 'Leave me alone, Granger.'

She was closer now, kneeling down beside him. Hesitantly, she put his head in her lap.

'Didn't you hear me? Leave me _alone._ '

Hermione shook her head. The ends of her curly brown hair tickled his face. 'You'll kill yourself. I know you will, Malfoy, so don't bother arguing.'

Draco rolled his eyes, with difficulty. 'What's it to you?'

She chose to ignore this. Instead, she produced a wand, and was muttering under her breath. She worked silently and efficiently, until all of his wounds were closed up. While he sat up slowly, trying to ignore his headache, she got some toilet paper from one of the cubicles and sat down beside him, mopping up the blood.

'So- are you going to tell me what happened?' She asked. Her brown eyes looked at him imploringly, and he wanted more that anything in that moment to tell her about everything that had happened.

He shook his head. 'Doesn't matter, Granger.'

'Of course it matters. And call me Hermione.' She added quickly.

He almost smiled then. 'You wouldn't care. Hermione.'

'I do. Please tell me.'

Draco sighed; there was a pause. He wanted to tell her so badly, he felt that if he did then she could _help_ him maybe, and it would be okay...

And she was so close. He could've kissed her, right then and there. Her face was only inches from his.

His thoughts wandered to this morning. Ron.

He couldn't be with her.

He got up quickly, wobbling in his haste. He drew himself up importantly, remembering who he was. 'I'm not going to tell you. Why don't you just go and hang out with Weasley anyway, I'm sure he'd prefer your company more than me,' he sneered, turning away. 'Goodbye, Granger.'

He closed the bathroom door with a bang, and headed up to the hospital wing. He didn't feel any more important, or pleased with himself. He just felt sad; he'd turned away a girl who was more that willing to help him. For the sake of pride.

And he'd ignored the clear expression of hurt on her face as he looked back through the mirror before leaving.


	5. Chapter 5

Not for the first time, Draco Malfoy's head was pounding when he woke up. Everything was blurring in and out of perspective, but he knew for one thing he was in the hospital wing, he'd remembered taking himself there- but after that, he could recall nothing. He could see the ceiling, and indistinct curtains, and a shape he couldn't quite place- it was almost like a block- no, a _person_ \- a person with long, frizzy hair.

Hermione was staring at him, her hands clasped together with worry.

'Oh good, you've woken up. I thought...' She shook her head. 'I thought you were going to be unconscious for longer.'

Draco groaned, sitting up in his bed. 'How long was I out?'

'Oh, just a few hours. But we were really worried.' Hermione added quickly.

He raised an eyebrow. 'Who's _we?_ '

'Oh- me and Madam Pomfrey.' She said quickly.

'So why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Weasel-Boy and Scarface?' Draco tried to keep the maliciousness in his voice, but he was tired, and he didn't even know why he was trying.

'Draco, look- I don't know what you want from me- I-'

'-I don't want to argue anymore. Granger- _Hermione_ , please believe me. I can't deal this- this-' Draco struggled for words. 'This _hatred_ that I'm trying to feel.'

Hermione frowned. 'What are you saying?'

Draco shrugged. 'I'm not going to pretend that I didn't hate you at first, because that would be a lie. But now- now, things are different. I don't. I _like_ you, even.'

Hermione's lips parted in surprise. 'You don't- you don't... hate me?'

'No. Of course not.'

A pink tinge appeared on her cheeks. 'Okay, well... wow. I never thought I'd hear you say that. Um, thanks- thank you, Draco.'

'So I need to speak to you about something.' He persisted. 'We never got to talk about that- er- that thing that happened in the library a couple of days ago.'

The blush reddened as she determinedly kept her eyes on the floor.

'I didn't want to hurt your feelings or anything. I promise, I didn't. I had no idea about you and Weasel,' He said.

'Weasley. Ron Weasley.' Hermione replied promptly.

'Right. Well- anyway, I didn't know. And I'm sorry.'

Hermione's gaze briefly flickered towards him. ‘It’s alright.’ She mumbled.

'But- but that doesn't change how I feel about you.'

There was a very awkward silence.

'Draco-'

'Listen, Hermione, please. I really, _really_ like you. And it kills me that you don't feel the same way, but it's something I'm going to have to deal with.'

She nodded. 'Yep, you will.'

'On one condition.'

She raised an eyebrow. 'Are you really in the position to be making deals right now?'

'Can we be friends? Like, hang out sometimes. I would really like to get to know you. After this year, we only have our seventh year left at Hogwarts. And I don't want to leave not knowing if... if, well- we could've been- er- friends, maybe.'

She smiled. 'Sure thing, Malfoy.'

Draco grinned. 'Alright, Granger.'

Hermione looked away, still smiling to herself. 'Okay, well, I should get going. I've got to meet Ron before class.'

He nodded silently. Even the mention of Ron couldn't deflate his mood. He watched her as she got up and left, her dark hair swaying behind her shoulders. Draco couldn't help thinking about how beautiful she looked.

'Okay, wait-' Quickly, Hermione spun on her heel and lent down, kissing Draco on the cheek. And with that, she was gone.

Draco had barely enough time to process this, before another thought popped into his head- so randomly, and worryingly.

Pansy- what was he going to do about her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please let me know what you think, predictions, etc all that jazz.. thank u!


	6. Chapter 6

Draco was released from the hospital wing the following day. He would've felt relief, but the overshadowing sense of guilt was gnawing at him, messing with his head constantly. He'd begun his pursuit of Hermione, without thinking at all about his current relationship situation.

Pansy was clinging tighter to him that every nowadays. Even the subjects that she didn't have with him she'd show up to straight outside, when they'd finished: the undeniable fact was, he just couldn't shake her off.

And recently, there was one thing in particular that had been making her more obsessive, and it had nothing to do with Hermione Granger. The Masquerade Ball was to be held in exactly two weeks time. Now, the rule was that no one was to be accompanied by a partner, but to find one there, as it was required that all students must wear a mask. Pansy, who Draco thought would've been horrified, was delighted (‘It's so _romantic,_ Draco!’). He, on the other hand, did not want to go. There were no benefits whatsoever; he would be with his current girlfriend, whist trying to get together with Hermione, in a mask. The whole idea of it was enough to make him feel sick to the stomach.

Draco found it very hard to speak to Pansy. He needed to break up with her, but he didn't know _how._

He sighed, breathing in deeply. He clasped his hand around his other forearm, in an attempt to stifle the throbbing. This was something that had begun to happen frequently when he got nervous, or upset. It was where Blaise cursed him.

 _Now I know what it's like to be Potter,_ he thought savagely. _With his scar and all..._

In an attempt to distract himself, he cast his thoughts elsewhere. He wondered what Hermione was doing now. Maybe she was with Ron. His brow furrowed slightly as he tried to imagine her at the Ball. He thought about the Yule Ball in their fourth year. He hadn't been able to insult her then, and thinking back at it now... _she looked beautiful,_ he decided. And she would again. He just hoped she would come. He could see her looking like that again.

Draco looked up at the dormitory ceiling. It was low, with dark green patterned swirls across it. He wanted to see her looking like that, he wasn't sure about why, though. Maybe she would be easier to love, that way.

 _Of course,_ he thought, _she's pretty,_ _but am I able to love her?_

He rubbed the back of his head, and pressed his head further into his pillow.

He hoped so.


	7. Chapter 7

As each day passed, the ball grew closer and closer. Draco felt an increasing shadow of dread falling over him as he thought about it, which quickly transpired into terror on the day of the ball.

He woke late. He checked the clock. 11:04 am; he'd missed breakfast and the beginning of Potions. Not that this was a worry for him, of course. It was natural for Draco to miss lessons, in fact, more often that not, he wasn't present in class.

Instead, Draco went to the bathroom. He splashed his face in the sink, waking him up immediately. He stared at himself in the mirror, not out of vanity, but out of curiosity; his skin was pale, paler than it had used to be, and his cheeks were slightly sunken. His fair hair was wet from the water, the white-blonde strands falling into his eyes. Vaguely, he considered cutting it; but wasn't as if he put much effort into his appearance nowadays.

His hands gripped the edges of the sink. They were, like the rest of his body, thin and pale. He was wasting away, and over what- a stupid bet?

He shivered. It was cold in the bathroom. He exited, and checked the time again. 11:29 am. He would go to the second half of the lesson, he thought, pulling on his robes. He neither enjoyed nor paid attention anymore; he had Slughorn, who would not give him the time of day, as opposed to Professor Snape. With one quick glance in the mirror, Draco departed for his lesson.

He was able to walk unnoticed down the corridor, which pleased him greatly. He passed a gaggle of Ravenclaw students, momentarily wondering why they were out of class. He did not look at them directly, but he could sense their cold glares as they walked on. Fortunately for them, he had neither the time nor enough effort the reciprocate their glances. So, he walked on.

And soon enough, he was approaching the other end of the dungeons, where Potions was. He was just opening the door, when-

‘Draco.’

Draco jumped, spinning around. He looked at the man behind him, his suspicions confirmed. Professor Snape was standing behind him, the corners of his mouth turned up into a smirk.

‘What are _you_ doing here?’ Draco blurted out in surprise.

Snape raised an eyebrow, his smirk never falling from his face. ‘I am the Slytherin Head of House, am I not?’

Draco could feel his cheeks going pink. ‘Yes.’

‘Yes _sir.’_ He corrected, although not unkindly. ‘And the Slytherin common room is in the dungeons, correct?’

‘Yes sir.’

‘Then, Draco, you know what my business is here.’ Snape concluded. Draco looked at the bottom of his robes uncomfortably. Since his father had been sent to Azkaban, there had been a shift in dynamics in Snape and Draco's relationship. Privately, Draco always had related Snape to something of a father figure; he was similar, and equally as cold and distant as Lucius himself. But now it was more so; of course, Snape was still removed, still formal around him at Hogwarts, but had, during the summer holidays, taken to frequenting the Malfoy Manor.

‘But, I do not know what _your_ business is here, Draco. Why are you not in your lesson?’

Draco threw him a contemptuous look; he was willing to bet his Hand of Glory that Snape had looked in his Potions lesson and checked if he was absent. ‘I woke up late.’

‘Stupid boy.’ Snape said idly. ‘Go to your lesson now. I have told Professor Slughorn that you are in a meeting with me-’ ( _there it was,_ Draco thought) ‘-and, you are to catch up what you have missed after the lesson has finished.’

‘ _Thank you, sir.’_ He could hear the venom laced into his voice. Snape's smirk widened.

‘You may leave.’ He said curtly, before turning on his heel and stalking away, his dark robes billowing out behind him.

Draco opened the door, slipping into his seat as quietly as possible, hoping to go unnoticed. This was tricky, however, Slughorn's N.E.W.T class had only a handful of students. And, like he had suspected, he was unsuccessful.

‘Mr Malfoy!’ Slughorn boomed, his huge stomach swelling impressively. ‘I wondered when you would grace us with the pleasure of your company.’

‘I- er- I had to speak to Professor Snape.’ He replied, not bothering to remove the coldness from his voice. Harry Potter was staring at him.

‘Not to worry, Draco, m'dear, not to worry…’ He smiled graciously. ‘Now, we've been brewing up a Euphoric Potion, but we're nearly finished, I don't think you could do it in the limit amount of time we have left... not even Mr Potter himself could finish it in twenty minutes!’ He chortled. Draco glanced at Harry, who had turned a brilliant shade of red. He also couldn't help but notice Hermione, throwing dirty looks at Harry and muttering darkly to him under her breath.

‘So I guess we'll have to pair you up with someone- hmm... let's see- Miss Granger? Would you mind sharing with Mr Malfoy?’

Hermione hesitated. Evidently she did mind. Casting alarmed looks at Harry and Ron, she nodded reluctantly in assent.

‘Excellent, excellent!’ Slughorn enthused. ‘Well, I'd better let you get on, then…’

He moved away to examine Ernie Macmillan's potion disdainfully, which was giving off a putrid egg smell and smoking at the top. Meanwhile, Draco joined Harry, Ron and Hermione's table.

There was a very awkward pause as they stared at each other: Ron was looking at him angrily, his face flushed. Harry also was staring at him, but not, to Draco's surprise, in distain; his brows were furrowed, and his expression a combination of curiosity and frustration. Hermione was the only one who was not looking at him at all, her head down, determinedly staring at the potion.

‘Get a couple of lacewing flies, will you?’ Hermione mumbled, her eyes averted away from him.

Draco nodded, going to the storage cupboard. He could feel the trio's eyes burning on his back.

They worked in silence, which bothered neither of them; the awkwardness transcended into concentration, and determination to finish. Draco gratefully took this silence. He did not want to push anything with Hermione- not when Ron and Harry were present. And although he had not wholeheartedly warmed to her, he respected her- he thought it wise to allow her space.

The lesson finished, and everyone moved to the great hall for supper. After that, the rest of the day passed in a blur- a free period after lunch, then double Defence Against the Dark Arts- and before he knew it, the evening had come.

Excitement rose in the sixth years, the atmosphere lifting considerably. Soon enough, every sixth year had all retreated to his or her dormitory to get ready for the ball.

Draco, joined by Crabbe and Goyle, headed back to the great hall after getting ready. Crabbe and Goyle wore black robes, that looked suspiciously similar to their school robes. They each wore plain black masks. Draco wore robes of royal blue, and carried a thin black mask, crusted with silver at the rims. It was an uncomfortable journey; as they walked closer and closer, Draco became more and more nervous.

Entering the great hall, he barely recognised it; the tables had disappeared, and in its place stood numerous students, several dancing on the floor. Unexpectedly for Draco, it was incredibly hard to distinguish the people once their eyes were covered. A large chandelier hung, and the ceiling gave the romantic illusion of a twinkling night sky.

He recognised Hermione immediately. She was standing alone, which was a first. He wondered where Harry and Ron were. She was wearing pale pink dress robes, and a matching mask. Her hair was falling loosely in curls down her back- she looked absolutely beautiful.

Before he knew it, he was across the great hall, approaching her. He passed Pansy, also standing alone- her hands clasped together- a twinge of guilt coursed through him, but he walked on, but remembered why he was doing this, it wasn't _his_ fault-

But all thoughts of anyone else vanished when he approached Hermione. A spark of recognition twinkled in her eyes as she noticed him.

He extended a hand. ‘Care to dance, Miss?’

She bit her lip. ‘Draco, no... anyone could see... you must be _careful._.. please-’

‘-Anyone could _see,’_ he said softly. ‘But no one would _know.’_

Hermione looked to her feet. _They were also pretty_ , Draco thought. She was wearing a set of white high heels rimmed in pink. He could tell that she was hesitant, but when she looked back up her eyes were serious, looking coldly back at his.

‘ _No one_ must know.’ She said sternly. And with that, she took his arm, and led him to the dance floor.

They danced together, his hands on her waist, her hands resting on his neck. It was slow, and everything else seemed to melt away. It was pleasant for a few minutes, before he noticed Hermione's expression. ‘Hermione, what’s-’

Hermione whimpered, glancing at something behind Draco's shoulder. Quickly, she tore away from him and slipped away, from the great hall and out of sight.

Momentarily dumbfounded, Draco stood alone, numb. Almost instantaneously finding his feet, he looked around, noticing the shock of red hair and the tall, gangly body. Terror coursed through him. He had no idea if Ron had seen them dancing together. Quickly, he raced after Hermione.

He heard her before he saw her, the loud _clank_ of her heels against the cold floor directed him to her. She was running, her hand to her face. He could hear another pair of shoes walking slowly and quietly behind him, but he ignored this. ‘ _Hermione-_ wait!’

‘ _No_!’

‘It's okay- I don't think he saw-’

‘Listen, Draco- I _can't-_ I just can't- _leave me alone!’_ She said shrilly. She turned, going down an isolated corridor. Draco followed hastily. Even in heels, she walked quickly.

‘Please, Hermione- just _talk_ to me!’ He exclaimed.

‘Okay, Draco, do you want to _talk?’_ She snapped, turning on her heel and rounding on him. ‘Let's _talk._ Let's talk about how I can't get you out of my head, alright?’

Draco stopped in his tracks, frozen.

‘Let's talk about how you spent the last few years bullying my friends, and being a _prat!’_

‘I didn’t-’

‘-I don't know what to _do,_ you see? I really, _really_ like you- I might even _love_ you- but I can't be with you because of how you treat people!’ She continued hysterically, her voice rising to a shriek. ‘And I have _Ron,_ who I don't really like, I just _thought_ I did, when he was dating stupid _Lavender_ \- and now he loves _me,_ and I want to break up with him, he's more like a _brother_ to me-’

‘-Then-’

‘It doesn't help with your feud together, and all! I want to be with you so much, don't you _see?’_ Hermione said, calming down slightly. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes filled with tears threatening to spill over. ‘But Draco, I just- I can't run away anymore. I don't know what to _do.’_

Draco stared at her, his mouth moving wordlessly. They were closer now, she'd stepped towards him in anger, and they were inches apart. Her expression was an odd combination of fury and sadness. He was completely unaware how she actually felt about him, and he felt almost _guilty_ that he hadn't trusted her.

‘I don't want to run from this anymore.’ She whispered. She put a trembling hand to her mouth, concealing her face completely. The mask was still on.

Very gently, Draco removed the hand from her mouth, and stepped closer. ‘Then don’t.'

And he kissed her.

It could've been seconds, or minutes, Draco was unaware- he had no clue what was going on, only he was _kissing_ her, the beautiful Hermione Granger, who he had previously _hated,_ what an odd turn around-

He bent his head closer to hers, his pale fingers sliding into her hair. He could feel her uneven breathing as she reciprocated the kiss, her hands reaching up to the nape of his neck. Her lips were soft and warm against his, he couldn't believe his luck- and for once, he wasn't thinking about the Vow, he was only thinking of Hermione- just Hermione-

CRASH.

Draco pulled away from Hermione in a muffled exclamation. ‘What was that?’ Hermione shook her head, she didn't know. He was about to inspect were the noise came from, before a girl spoke.

‘Draco?’ She said feebly.

Dread washing over him, he turned slowly, to see Pansy Parkinson. Her cheeks were streaked black with tears, her dark hair falling from its up-do. Her trembling hand was clutching at thin air, and a goblet was lying at her feet.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plls comment. i am a slut for validation xoxo

‘Draco? You- I thought that-’

‘Pansy, I-’ Draco started. But he was at a loss for words, what could excuse this? ‘I'm sorry.’ He couldn't help but look at her, she looked so _broken._ Her eyes flashed fiercely.

‘Who is she?’ Pansy said angrily. She turned to Hermione. ‘Who are you?’

Draco turned to Hermione quickly. She looked bewildered, her eyes flitting from Draco to Pansy, her hand rising to her mouth. He breathed an internal sigh of relief that Pansy couldn't recognise her. He'd thought it obvious, but then again... her hair was the most prominent feature, (excluding her face, which was concealed) and even that looked different, it was sleek and shiny. She looked terrified in the face of Pansy, he didn't blame her- Pansy could become scary if she wanted to. There was a very long moment of silence. Hastily, she removed her shoes and ran, bare-footed and wordlessly away down the corridors and up the stairs.

‘Who is she?’ Pansy demanded after she was no longer in sight. ‘Who did you kiss?’

‘She's no one-’ he said quickly. ‘Pansy, I can explain-’

‘-I can't believe I got dressed up for you,’ Pansy said ruefully. ‘I can't _believe_ I spent half an hour waiting for you, while you were dancing with another girl. _Yes,’_ she added exasperatedly, ‘of _course_ I recognised you. I've known you since we were _kids.’_

‘I really didn't mean to. I can't explain it to you, but she-’

‘I followed you, Draco! I followed you and that _slag_ after you left!’ She shrieked suddenly. ‘I can't _believe_ you!’

‘I'm sorry.’ He said lamely. There was nothing else to be said.

‘ _Then tell me who it was!’_ Her voice rose slightly, a hysterical tone introduced. ‘If it was that _mudblood_ , I-’

‘-Don't call her that,’ he said quickly. ‘And no, it wasn’t.’

‘ _Draco.’_ She said, a steely edge now in her voice. ‘You _need_ to tell me.’

‘Why?’ Draco said with a touch of panic. ‘It doesn't matter, you'll break up with me anyway, I-’

‘Damn right I'll break up with you,’ She said through gritted teeth. ‘But I need to know _why_ first. I just need to ask _why.’_

Quickly, Draco considered in his head the options: he could tell her what happened with him and Blaise, and maybe she would understand- but she would know that it was Hermione. Or he could tell her that he didn't like her anymore, which was both unkind and untrue- he'd always found Pansy attractive, and he couldn't hurt her anymore than he just did- but it would hurt her enough to keep her from interfering further.

He sighed. ‘Ask Blaise. He'll- he'll tell you.’

She frowned. ‘I thought you two were arguing?’

He raised an eyebrow. 'Yes, _because_ of this situation.'

She looked him in the eyes. Her expression was neither sad, nor angry anymore, she looked determined, and slightly fierce. ‘Then I want to hear it from you.’

Draco looked at his feet. ‘Okay, well. I guess I owe you that, at the very least.’

‘Yes, you do.’ Pansy replied firmly.

Reluctantly, Draco explained. Pansy was a good audience, she did not interrupt him, and didn't speak until he had finished. He half expected her to think of it as a load of rubbish, but thankfully, she believed him.

‘So, you're telling me that after I went to bed- you made the _Unbreakable Vow-’_

He nodded. ‘Whilst being completely wasted, but yeah. I did.’

‘So- that's why- that's why you've been ignoring me recently?’

‘Yeah.’

There was a hesitant silence. Draco watched Pansy carefully. She was looking at her feet, blinking profusely. She had abandoned her up-do completely, her hair falling in tangled waves down her front. The purple mask that she once wore was held loosely in her hand. Her mouth had formed a small o-shape in surprise.

‘How do you feel about her?’ Pansy asked quietly.

He decided it was best not to lie in this situation. ‘I don't know,’ he said carefully. ‘I'm not sure. I like her, a _lot-_ and I don't want to hurt her at all. Pansy, she said she _loved_ me. The thing is, she _thinks_ she does, but I still have the mark on my arm, so- she- she can’t-’

‘I think she probably does, to some extent,’ Pansy said slowly. ‘But Blaise never specified _how much,_ though, did he? I suspect that she does a little bit, but she's confused. And,’ she added, to Draco's horror, ‘I think it may have to be reciprocated.’

‘I have to fall in _love_ with her?’ Draco said, horrified.

‘No, no- I mean, I don't _think_ so.’ She said hastily. ‘Just attraction. Heavy infatuation, I'd hazard a guess. But I’m not sure.’

Draco nodded slowly. It was a lot to take in. ‘Pansy, look- I didn't want any of this to happen- I'm so sorry. I wouldn't ever want to hurt you-’

She looked at him sadly. He felt an immense respect for her, as he had handled it with such grace. ‘Yeah, Draco, I know. But I'm still dumping you, though.’


	9. Chapter 9

The next day passed without any major distractions; although him and Pansy were not arguing anymore, they were not talking either. He found whenever he looked in her direction she was looking determinedly away.

‘She's upset, mate,’ said his friend Goyle, a burly sixth year, as they walked together up to the great hall. ‘You've got to give her time.’

‘How _much_ time, though?’ He complained, but it was only half-hearted.

Draco felt guilty every time he thought about her; he would have slapped himself had it been the other way around. But there was nothing that could be done, after all- this was all Blaise's fault. He now had to pick up the pieces.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Pansy approaching them. He groaned internally. As she walked nearer, he could see that she was not looking too great at all: her dark hair was messed up from sleep, and her eyes were red and blotchy. Quickly, she plastered a grin on her face.

‘Hi Draco, hi Greg!’ Pansy said. Her voice wobbled dangerously high, it didn't sound like her at all. ‘Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?’

‘Er-’ Draco glanced at Goyle, who wore his usual vacant expression. ‘Yeah, I mean- yes, it is-’

Pansy nodded quickly. ‘Well, I'll see you around, Draco!’ and with that, she left the Great Hall, her head held a bit too high and her walk a tad too fast. The next couple of days passed similarly. Then he started to avoid her, because it was easier, and less awkward. He would rise early for breakfast and arrive late for dinner, just in the hope of avoiding her.

Tuesday. Night fell. It was approaching ten o'clock when Draco turned up at the great hall. It looked very quiet, empty except from a handful of Hufflepuff girls, and, strangely enough, Hermione, Potter and Weasley.

Fortunately they were on the other side of the hall so they didn't notice him. A goblet to his left filled with pumpkin juice, and he drank it gratefully, happy to avert his eyes elsewhere. There was a clatter of plates and an outbreak of giggling that quickly faded as half a dozen shoes clanking out of the great hall. The Hufflepuff's had left.

Draco's heart was in his mouth. He could hear low murmuring, and then a scrape of chairs. His head whipped around.

The three were leaving. He watched them silently, Harry Potter catching his eye. Quickly, he looked away. He could hear someone, probably Ron, swearing.

‘Careful, Weasley.’ He drawled, turning his head again. He sounded a lot braver than he felt. ‘Your mother wouldn't like to hear language like that, would she?’

Ron's eyes flashed in anger, and he took a step towards him. Hastily, Hermione grasped his upper arm and mumbled something in his ear.

Draco smiled, not unkindly, lifting his chin slightly. ‘You alright, Granger?’

She flushed a deep red, releasing Ron instantaneously.

Harry's eyes narrowed. ‘Leave her alone, Malfoy.’

Draco raised an eyebrow. ‘Nice to see you too, Potter.’

‘C'mon, let's go,’ Ron muttered, taking Hermione's hand. Albeit awkwardly, she let him. Even though turned away from him, Draco could see the muscles in her neck contract, she was smiling at him. He felt a strange pang in his chest.

They started, and Draco watched carefully. Then, a strange thing happened. Potter stopped, as if in pain.

‘Er- wait-’ He turned around and looked at Draco. ‘Are you- is everything okay?’

Draco stared, taken aback. His enemy, Harry Potter, was asking about his well being? ‘Y-yeah, I'm- er- _why_?’

To his further astonishment, Weasley spoke next. ‘You've seemed a bit... well- sad lately.’

Draco smirked. ‘Thanks, Ronald, I'm flattered- honestly. But I'm not into you.’

He rolled his eyes. ‘Ok, let's go back to the common room.’

Draco wanted to punch himself after he spoke up again as they were walking out. ‘Potter- Weasley. Er- thanks.’

Harry almost smiled. Ron nodded, and the trio headed out.

Draco grinned to himself. He was alone now, in the great hall. It was weird to have had a conversation with them that did not end in a fight. But it was a start. It was the beginning of something, hopefully.

‘Draco?’

‘Hermione?’

She was there, in the doorway. He stood up hastily. ‘What're you doing here? I thought you-‘

‘I doubled back. Said I had to go back and get something.’

‘Come on, I want to show you something.’

Hesitantly, she held out a hand. Draco's heart leapt.

‘Sure.’ He said quickly.

She lead him outside. It was cold, the night air whipping his face, but something about Hermione made him stay. Finally, she stopped abruptly.

There was a short silence.

‘The stars.’ She said diplomatically. ‘I wanted to show you them.’

He looked up. 'Wow...'

The sky was a deep blue, and staring up at it was amazing; you could see every single star out there. From this perspective, the castle looked beautiful. He almost liked it in that moment.

She grinned at him. ‘Let's lie down here.’

Draco stared. ‘What, right here? Right now?’

She nodded. ‘Yeah. It's not cold, and it's beautiful out here, so…’

He nodded quickly. ‘Sounds good to me.’

Draco knelt down and lay on his back, staring absent-mindedly at the black sky through the trees. She _was_ right, the view was great, but he couldn't help getting distracted. Luckily enough, Hermione started conversation.

‘Is- is everything okay between you and Pansy?’ She asked tentatively.

He shrugged. ‘We'll be okay.’

‘You were... you were dating, weren't you?’

‘On and off. She broke up with me, though.’ He added.

‘Oh.’ Hermione said awkwardly. ‘I'm- ah- _sorry?_ ’

He shook his head. ‘Are you dating Weasley still?’

There was a brief silence. She seemed taken aback. ‘No- no, we- um, broke up. We're still... good friends though. I- wouldn't do that to you.’

He looked up to the sky. The stars were twinkling above them, and although Draco could look at them briefly, he really did not understand why everyone loved looking at the sky so much. He felt slightly uncomfortable on the grass, looking up into the darkness. But he was happy to withstand it for Hermione. There was a further few minutes silence before she spoke again.

‘I heard you calling me a nobody,’ Hermione mumbled. ‘You speak quite loudly.’

Confusion ebbed through him; he hadn't, had he? But then he remembered- ‘ _She's no one-’_ he had said. ‘ _Pansy, I can explain-’_

Draco silently cursed himself. Of course he didn't _mean_ it, but all the same... ‘Hermione, I-’

‘-Don't worry about it.’ Hermione replied, albeit slightly coldly. ‘I know you were trying to get Pansy off of your back.’

‘That still doesn't excuse-’

‘-Hey.’ Hermione said softly, rolling on her side to face him properly. ‘It really doesn't matter.’

He knew the situation was sore, but he couldn't help asking her one final question- ‘Did you- er- hear anything else?’

She shook her head. ‘No, why?’

‘No, we- er- we were just arguing. Didn't want you to hear it.’ He said quickly.

He nodded. Draco felt a pang of guilt, which he often felt nowadays, but chose to ignore it.

He smiled feebly at her, and she leaned towards him and rested her head against her chest. He did not want to kiss her, or anything of the sort- he just wanted to _be_ with her, around her, in this moment. Because she was perfect.

He felt numb, but not from the cold. He thrust his hands into his robe pockets. What was happening to him? He could not understand why he was feeling this way. It was an uncomfortable emotion- Hermione was- well- so _different_ to him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She had her eyes closed, he could see the flutter of her lashes as she breathed softly onto his chest. He was contented watching her, and suddenly he realised what the emotion was.

He felt happy, properly happy, for the first time in his life.

And everything was peaceful for now, Draco didn't want to think of what would lie in store for them the next day, or worry about keeping their relationship a secret, or the fact that he was falling fast in love with Hermione Granger.


	10. Chapter 10

‘-Homework, page 394. I want a three foot long essay on the importance of dragons blood and _all_ of it's uses- quiet, you insolent class…’ Severus Snape spoke, his voice raised slightly amidst the wave of protests. Draco smirked. He could clearly see Potter, his face pale and stricken. Still- three foot was a long essay to write.

His long, sallow face glared back at Harry, as if inviting a contradiction, before sweeping from the room. The students all followed suit, murmuring together before spilling out of the classroom in groups. Draco stood up from his seat, leaving his cauldron on the desk and sweeping his other equipment into his bag. He was the least to exit to the door- almost. His eyes snagged a girl, still sitting in her seat. Hermione.

He dropped his bag at his feet and moved towards her. ‘Hey- are you alright?’

‘Yeah.’

He dropped his bag by her desk. ‘What about that essay, huh? It's a lot to write.’

She shrugged. ‘S’alright.’

Draco raised an eyebrow. ‘Hermione, what's the matter?’

She sighed, looking down at her hands. ‘I wish it didn't have to be like this. I wish... I wish it could be normal- it would be nice to be open about this, to have Harry and Ron okay with this. But because of all that's happened- all that you've done-’

‘-Which I am really sorry for-’ He interjected quickly.

She smiled sadly. ‘I know. I know you are. I just don't think they'll see it that way, you know? They hold grudges.’

He made a face, and her smile quickly turned into a glare. ‘You're not exactly Mr. Perfect yourself. You're in this just as much as they are.’

He shrugged, looping his fingers into hers. ‘I know.’

‘-Anyway, what would your friends say about this?’

He felt sick just to think about it. He knew that they would call her horrible names- names that he himself would've called her, just months previously-

Quickly, he pushed this thought away. He was redeeming himself, and that should matter.

‘I don't know…’ He said slowly. ‘Crabbe and Goyle- well, they wouldn't know the difference, to be honest. But the others... no. They wouldn’t be okay with it.’

‘I really like you, Malfoy.’ She said quietly. ‘I really hope you know that.’

‘Granger…’ He groaned. ‘You drive me crazy, you know that?’

For a fraction of a second she grinned, before freezing. There was a patter of feet down the hall and an outbreak of laughter. Her head whipped up, hastily disentangling her hand from his. ‘Someone's coming!’

Draco looked around, panicked. No one was there yet, but he could hear two girls talking loudly. And what would they think, if they saw the two of them together? It would be an absolute nightmare. ‘What do we do?’

‘Quick, in here!’ Hermione said, half-ushering, half-dragging Draco into the cramped potions cupboard. Obediently, he shut the door, and they were thrown into darkness. For a few terrifying moments that seemed endless, Draco and Hermione held their breath. The only sounds that could be heard were the childish giggling of voices that he recognised as Parvarti and Lavender. Draco could almost feel Hermione rolling her eyes. It was incredibly cramped, and Draco might as well have been blind. His heart was pounding crazily, the anticipation was horrible.

‘Do you think that they're gone?’ She said hesitantly after a few minutes.

Draco stared at the dark shape that was Hermione in the darkness. He had been previously unaware of how close they were standing. He could distinguish her bushy hair, but that was about it. ‘Yeah, I think so.’ He whispered back.

‘Shall we check?’

‘No! Er- no,’ Draco said quickly. He didn't want to pass off this opportunity so soon. ‘Let's- stay here for a bit. Just to be sure, you know.’

Hermione chuckled softly. ‘To be safe?’

He inched closer. ‘Yeah.’

‘Lumos.’ She said. He could now see her face, illuminated in the darkness. He wanted, in that moment, to kiss her. More than anything.

‘Nox.’

‘It's dark now.’ Hermione protested.

‘Doesn't matter.’

‘But-’

‘-I don't need a light to see you, Hermione Granger.’

Hermione muttered something indistinct, which was a feat- due to their current location. Her head was raised, and so Draco took the opportunity to kiss her.

He felt the usual, swooping feeling he experienced whenever he saw, or kissed Hermione. Everything else seemed to melt away; his upbringing did not matter, it was Hermione, only Hermione that mattered in the world right now. Every nerve seemed to be tingling- he vaguely wondered if she felt the same way. He closed his eyes, letting his hands fall to her waist. Hermione's fingers found his hair. She drew him closer, but it wasn't enough; he wanted her closer, so much closer- they had never kissed like this before. And was it normal, Draco thought vaguely, to have a warm, bright light under your eyelids in pitch black?

With an ominous sinking feeling, Draco pulled away. The closet had flooded with light- it was wide open. Hermione jumped away with a gasp and clasped both hands to her mouth. Draco's insides felt like ice. Parvarti and Lavender were gaping, their mouths wide open in an o-shape.

There wasn't a doubt about it; they had seen Hermione and Draco kissing.


	11. Chapter 11

Immediately the next morning, Draco went and sought out Hermione. This was one of the few situations in which he was not thinking about the Unbreakable Vow, but Hermione- just Hermione; he was, although it was painful to admit, scared for her. He had never like Parvarti and Lavender much, and found himself liking them even less as they had run away giggling the previous night, before Draco could attempt to reason with them.

And, unfortunately, his suspicions had been confirmed- they had told everyone. Even as Draco swept the halls and classrooms trying to find Hermione, he could see everyone whispering, pointing indiscreetly. Few faced he had passed showed surprise, but the predominant expression on both Gryffindor and Slytherin's faced conveyed that of resentment and betrayal.

It was only in the Great Hall that he found her; he was moving so fast that he almost collided into her. She looked incredibly tired, her wild hair and forlorn expression gave the impression of a sleepless night. Her eyes were blotchy and swollen. it was obvious that she'd been crying. And she was alone, he couldn't see her friends in sight. Or, for that matter, anyone at all near her.

‘Hermione!’ He exclaimed. ‘I was-’

‘Please, Draco- leave me alone.’ She said quietly, bowing her head. She turned quickly, and left the hall as fast as possible.

He looked around wildly, unsure of what was going on. And, unfortunately catching the eye of Gregory Goyle. He was surrounded by a dozen Slytherin's. ‘So it was Granger, you kissed, was it? The Mudblood?’

There were cackles of laughter. Strangely, he noticed that Blaise was one of them, but he was not laughing. On the contrary, he looked solemn. He felt a pang of anger at their cruel humour, which was odd- he had referred to many a Muggleborn as a Mudblood, but he knew, in that moment, that the word would never pass his lips again.

Shaking his head, he ran out to catch up with Hermione, ignoring the stares. He ran as fast as he could, his heart pounding. Skidding out of the entrance hall, he made for the grounds, which is where he found her- walking hastily down the slope of grass.

‘Hermione,’ He called out desperately. Her head almost, _almost_ turned around. She had heard him. ‘Hermione, wait-’

‘Go away.’ She shouted back. But it was windy, and she was faced away from him, so it was carried as no more than an eerie echo.

‘Please, just _listen_ for _one minute-_ ’

‘Draco, I _can’t_!’ Hermione span around unexpectedly. She was openly weeping now. He felt a rush of sympathy towards her- he longed for nothing else in that moment, then to comfort her- but he couldn't. Not now. ‘Draco, we have to stop this- this _game_ -’

‘-What are you talking about?’ he said urgently. ‘It's okay, people will-’

‘What?’ She sobbed. ‘ _Get over it_?’

He gripped her arm, and she flinched. ‘-Listen, I know it looks bad right now, but-’

‘Let go of me, please.’ She said impatiently. ‘Malfoy, let _go_.’

‘Hermione-’

‘ _Revulsio_.’ She said softly. His hand sprang back.

He looked at her, stung. But she did not look back. After a moment she spoke again, in a terribly hollow, dead voice. ‘Harry and Ron hate me. They say that I've betrayed them.’

Draco was silent. He couldn't think of a single word to say.

‘Draco,’ she said slowly. ‘We have to stop this.’

She needn't have uttered the last sentence, for it had no impact on him. ‘Hermione, listen, I-’

‘-Please.’ There was a note of urgency to her voice. ‘Everyone's against me. My two best friends in the _world_ hate me. I can't continue with this. Please, please respect this. At least- at least for a while.’

There was a pause. He looked at her wordlessly, imploringly, but it was no use- she would not- _could_ not- look him in the eye. ‘Hermione, you can’t-’

‘-Yes, Malfoy, I can.’ She looked weary now. She was not crying anymore. ‘I need my friends back.’

‘I love you.’ He blurted out.

She hesitated, silently looking at him for a few seconds. When she opened her mouth, she spoke in no more than a whisper.

‘Let's just take a break. Just- so we can figure things out, okay?’

And with that, she walked away.

Draco watched her, watched her small shoulders hunch over, and her legs tripping in their haste to get away. He watched her frizzy brown hair blow to the left in the wind, and he knew, even without seeing her front, that her hair was in her face.

The words had spilled out of Draco's mouth before he could stop himself. He barely had time to process it. But he had felt something for her, something strong, something unbreakable.

And it terrified him.

 _Maybe I do love her,_ said a small voice at the back of his head.


	12. Chapter 12

The weeks that followed passed in a blur. Draco was unaware of his lessons, or anything that he had to do in the following weeks. The only thing that had meaning, any significance at all was Hermione. And she wouldn't talk to him.

Initially, he had given her time. But it was hard, the more time spent away from her was like a punch to the gut. He would skip lessons and avoid mealtimes as much as possible so he wouldn't see her.

But then the days turned into weeks.

He then tried to talk to her— reason with her— but his pleas were met with a hasty departure. He knew that she was avoiding him, but he knew she couldn't help it.

Which was why it was a surprise when she spoke to him after a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.

‘We need to talk. Are you free?’ She'd said. She looked at him with a certain urgency, and he realised fully how much he'd missed her— her frizzy hair, her beautiful face, everything.

And he felt himself crumbling.

‘Yes— you know I am, Granger.’ This was partly a lie; he'd got a detention for missing too many lessons. But this was far more important.

As she grasped his hand hastily and led him out of the hall and onto the grounds, he realised how dependent he was of her. And he was certain that it was love— he couldn't eat or sleep, because he'd been thinking of her. He wondered if she felt the same.

She whirled around, and took a deep breath. ‘I like you. A _lot_.’

He nodded. ‘I like you too.’

‘But I think— I think we should be friends.’

Draco's insides turned into ice. ‘Wait— what? What do you mean?’

‘I mean I think we should carry on as friends. It's obvious that this isn't working out properly. But I mean— I know— and _you_ know— that there's something between us. Something strong. But I need to prioritise my studies right now, and Harry and Ron. When something happens between us, it'll happen. And I know it will. Because I— well… I love you, Draco.’

He nodded. ‘Y—yeah.’ It was a lot to take in, but in a strange way he agreed. It made sense.

Feebly, she held out her little finger. ‘Friends?’

Resignedly, he held out his and entwined it with hers. ‘Friends.’

After they parted ways, Draco was left with a bittersweet feeling. He knew that it would happen, their relationship— he was so _sure_ of it. But he yearned for her with an unfamiliar hunger, he _loved_ her.

And he'd made the Unbreakable Vow.

‘Salazar,’ he said wearily at the entrance to the dungeons, before being admitted. He left the common room, ignoring the shouts and laughter of his peers as they conversed. In fact, he was completely sure that he'd been invisible to them. Draco went straight for his dormitory, where all he wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep. He might've even cried. And the Malfoy's never cried.

Instead, he found Blaise. He was sitting on the edge of Malfoy's bed, his hand slightly crumpling his pyjamas. Vaguely, Draco felt a twinge of annoyance.

But this was strange. It was June now, and Draco hadn't spoken to Blaise since December— six months. Just looking at him brought on a swell of feelings, a distinct emotion being severe dislike— but Draco surprised himself in discovering the overriding feeling was longing. Blaise had been his best friend, and he'd been so lonely without him.

He jumped up from the bed as soon as he noticed him. Draco closed the door quietly. For a while, they stood in silence, facing each other as if they were in a standoff. A muscle jumped in Draco's cheek. ‘Blaise.’

‘I'm sorry.’

‘What?’ Draco frowned. Surely he hadn't heard correctly. ‘You’re— sorry?’

He nodded, his mouth hardening into a grimace. This looked almost painful. With a swift hand gesture, he held out his hand. Draco took it, and they shook— and with that, a silent agreement came over the pair of them once more consolidating their messy friendship.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh i hate this chapter read if u want tho 12 year old me was hella cringey

It was the afternoon when Draco surfaced the next morning, but it was a Saturday so there was nothing to miss. He got dressed, and as the afternoon slid into the evening he spent an uneventful day lounging in the common room. Everyone had either left for the holidays already, or happened to be out— except for himself and a couple of third-years in the corner.

Draco was just ready tohead off to bed when there was a bang on the common room door.

He opened it and strangely enough, it was Hermione. She looked flushed, her brown hair pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head and a folder crammed with loose sheets of paper clutched to her chest.

‘How did you know where to find me?’ He blurted out, confused. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘What?’ She frowned slightly, as if it hadn't occurred to her yet. ‘Oh— er, Harry and Ron told me in the second year. Anyway. I need to talk to you.’

‘But it’s just gone nine o’clock at night.’

‘I said— I need to talk to you.’

‘Always on about bloody well talking to me…’ He mumbled.

‘What?’

‘No, nothing... come in to my dorm.’ He muttered, peeved. It seemed that he could only talk to Hermione when _she_ was up for it— he couldn’t get angry at _her_ ever… and Christ, did he want to at times. She followed him out of the dungeons and through the common room. It was lucky that no one was inside at this point, as there certainly would’ve been an uproar. This was the only time that Draco felt grateful for being left alone.

The dorms were the one place where they could talk without being overheard. He'd assumed that it was something important. Soon enough, he opened the door to his bedroom. ‘I share with Crabbe, but he's gone home for the holidays already.’ He shrugged. ‘Anyway, sit down. So how come you're here? How did you get in?’

‘Prefect privileges. Should've thought about that before yours got revoked.’ Draco glared at her and she grinned, hopping onto the edge of his bed. ‘So. I wanted to ask you something.’

He opened his palms towards her invitingly. ‘Shoot.’

‘—Did we have any Potions homework? Because I know we had the essay on Wolfsbane, but I wasn't sure if I had to write more than a foot—’

‘Really, Hermione?’ He sniggered. Then caught himself. ‘Is that all?’ He asked slowly.

She nodded, raising an eyebrow. ‘Is that okay?’

He smirked. ‘I just— _well_. I thought that if you had to so desperately talk to me about something so frivolous, you would've sought me out elsewhere. So... why are you here?’

‘To ask you what I just did.’

‘So…’ He sat down on the bed next to her and edged closer. Cautiously, he lifted her hair to one side, exposing her neck. He dared not breathe for a moment, and judging by the fine hairs that started to stick up on her skin, she daren’t breathe too. He raised his hand and traced down her jaw to her collarbone. ‘You didn’t want anything else..?’

Her breathing hitched. ‘N—no.’

‘Nothing more than…’ He kissed her neck gently. ‘Just... friends?’

‘Just friends, Malfoy.’ She mumbled.

‘Just friends?’

‘Yes—’ she started, before he turned fully and kissed her on the mouth.

In a muffled exclamation, she responded with as much muster as she could manage. He pushed his hands into her hair frantically, pulling her closer. ‘I missed you. I missed this.’ He said in between kisses.

‘Don't talk now,’ she gasped. There was a unique passion, unlike how it had been before. There fingers were interweaved as he pushed her against the bed as gently as possible.

Draco's hands fumbled under her skirt, drifting to her knickers. She reciprocated this frenzy, he could feel her hands on his shirt, unbuttoning his shirt- under his shirt. ‘I love you.’ He breathed into her ear. ‘And we didn't have Potions work.’


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls lmk if u like it. comment my baes.

It was a beautiful day outside. A pale blue sky, the type that usually surfaces after a storm, with the occasional puffy cloud. It was nearly the end of the year— exams were approaching fast, and for once Hermione was not spending hours on end in the library— but was with him. And they were sitting by the lake on the grounds together, talking— just talking. Draco couldn't even remember what they had been discussing— it seemed irrelevant, somehow. All he remembered had picked up from when Blaise joined them, and everything had crumbled.

And in retrospect, Draco should've known that this day seemed too good to be true.

‘Oi! Malfoy!’ A voice called. Draco turned to see Blaise and grinning, beckoned him over. This newfound excitement came over him— maybe they could also be friends— altogether— and maybe, just maybe things wouldn't turn out to be so bad after all.

Blaise sauntered over, his robes billowing behind him. He looked pleased about something, and his happiness almost made Draco uncomfortable- there was something about Blaise's expression that made him uneasy. ‘You still hanging around him, after what he did?’ Blaise smirked.

Hermione laughed uncomfortably. ‘Um, what's going on?’

Draco frowned. ‘What?’

Hermione smiled gently, taking his hand in hers. ‘It’s okay— you can tell me. What’s Zabini talking about?’

Blaise sneered. ‘He didn’t tell you, Granger?’

Hermione's eyes flicked from each boy’s face, the tranquility ebbing from her face rapidly. ‘Tell me _what_?’

Suddenly, Draco's insides turned to ice as the realisation washed over him. This was all a ploy; Blaise _wasn't_ his friend after all. He'd _used_ him, and now— now he was going to tell Hermione— the _one_ that person he cared about— the deadly secret that would tarnish their relationship forever. ‘-You can’t— she can’t—’

‘I can't know _what?_ You're worrying me, Draco.’

Blaise looked at him coldly. There was no laughter now. ‘You should be worried.’

‘Blaise, you can’t—’

‘Oh yes, Draco,’ he said slowly. ‘I think you'll find that I _can.’_

‘But it's _your_ fault!’ He protested.

‘What's his fault?’ Hermione said impatiently. ‘Come on, tell me. Now.’

Blaise's lip curled. ‘He—’

‘Blaise— don't do this!’

‘Be _quiet,_ Draco!’ She snapped. He fell silent. She took two deep breaths before turning to Blaise once more, who's eyes were flitting from Hermione to Draco with an insatiable hunger. And she hesitated. Draco looked at her wordlessly, imploringly, but she wasn't looking at him.

‘What did he do?’

Blaise cast a careless look towards Draco before turning to speak again.

‘He made the Unbreakable Vow.’

There was an awful silence that followed the conversation. It was like watching through a screen, watching…

Waiting for everything to come crashing down. Blaise had told Hermione everything. About the party, about Pansy, the Vow— everything.

And at that moment, he knew that it was all over.

‘W—what?’ said Hermione, shaking her head slightly. ‘I— I don’t—’

‘Hermione…’ Draco said softly.

'Draco, be quiet. Zabini, what do you mean, he did the Unbreakable Vow? He didn't. He _couldn’t._ ’ She said sharply.

Blaise shrugged. There was a glint of amusement in his eye. ‘Ask him.’

Hermione turned to face him. ‘It's far too advanced. You're telling me you did the Unbreakable _Vow?_ You didn't. Did you?’ She demanded.

‘Hermione, I was drunk—’

‘Don't mess me about, Malfoy.’ She said through gritted teeth. There was a slightly steely tone to her voice. ‘Did you, or didn't you?’

He couldn't bear to look at her. He tried to hold her hand, but she slapped his hand away as if she'd been stung. ‘Don't TOUCH me, Draco!’ she said hysterically. ‘You don't get to _do_ that anymore!’

There was a very pregnant pause. Hermione took a shaky breath before she spoke again. He could tell that she was close to tears.

‘Draco Malfoy,’ Hermione said quietly. ‘Is it true?’

He closed his eyes. He knew in this moment, that this was the end. He couldn't do anything now to prevent everything from coming out— and why shouldn't he, anyway? It was doomed from the start.

Draco nodded. ‘It's true. I'm sorry.’

'Don't _ever_ come near me again.’ She whispered. The tears in her eyes spilled over, and in that moment Draco wanted nothing more than to wipe them away, but he couldn't. ‘Merlin, I swear... I swear if you ever come near me again…’

She gave him one last glare and swept away in cold fury.

Blaise followed suit. He winked at Draco and walked away at a steady pace.

It was all over.


	15. Chapter 15

‘Can we talk?’

Draco looked up from his homework. It was during his revision period, and with exams coming up, he needed to study hard. For a split second he had hoped that it was Hermione and his heart gave a funny jolt when he saw Harry Potter standing in front of him. ‘What do you want?’

‘Hermione told me what happened.’ Harry said. ‘What were you thinking?’

‘I _wasn’t_.’ Draco snapped. ‘Leave me alone if you're gonna get angry, okay?’

‘Sorry. Look- I- _argh_.’ Harry rolled his eyes. ‘I'm not good at this.’

Draco frowned. ‘What is it?’

Harry shrugged. ‘I know that Hermione is really torn up about what happened. And as her best friend, I thought it was my duty to help her out.’

‘Help her out how?’ He replied sourly.

‘She doesn't know that I'm talking to you,’ Harry said quickly. ‘Shall we- er- go for a walk on the grounds?’

Draco shrugged. 'I'll follow you.'

‘Do you think that you can talk to her?’ Harry asked as they set off. ‘It would help massively.’

Draco laughed coldly. ‘There's not much that I can do now to change my situation. And besides, we only talk when she’s up for talking.’

‘You can talk to her,’ Harry continued on, a hint of desperation in his voice. ‘She's in love with you, Malfoy.’

‘Nah,’ Draco mumbled. ‘Not after this.’

‘Yes, Malfoy, after this. Believe me, if you're the last person that I would want her to like. But she does, so I'm here to talk to you.’

‘No.’

‘She loves you.’ Harry said. ‘When her and Ron were together- _well_. Hermione loves Ron, I know she does. But not in that way. She never looked at Ron the way she does towards you.’

‘She loved me.’ He said quietly.

‘ _Loves._ ’ Harry corrected. ‘What do you mean, _loved_?’

Draco scowled at him. ‘Because I've caused nothing but pain for her. Up until last year I tormented her, and this whole year I've been playing with her feelings. Even as we've been closer to each other, I've managed to upset her even more. The whole year's been full of ups and downs. I mean... It's probably better this way, anyway.’

Harry ran his hand through his dark hair in an attempt to tame it. Briefly, Draco wondered why he did it — if anything, it made his hair stick up more. ‘Better what way?’

‘It's over.’ He said dully. ‘I won. The Unbreakable Vow has been broken. Hermione _loved_ me. But she doesn't need to anymore, so- this on-off relationship can end.’

‘I know Hermione.’ Harry retorted.

‘So do I!’ Draco yelled suddenly. His cheeks were flushed and he kicked at a rock angrily. In defence, Harry raised his wand instinctively. ‘I _love_ her! I would die for Hermione!’

‘Then _do_ it.’ Harry said softly. ‘If Hermione doesn't love you, then the Unbreakable Vow should kill you.’

There was silence — only the whistling wind could be heard as the two boys glared at each other coldly. Soon, Draco found himself unable to keep his gaze and he turned his head, ashamed. ‘I'm sorry. I— I'm really… _Merlin_. Potter, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry.'

Harry shook his head, pocketing his wand. ‘Don't worry about it.’

‘I'm just so... angry.’

‘At Hermione?’

‘Nah.’ He shrugged they continued walking. ‘At the world, I guess.’

Harry nodded, grinning. ‘I can relate to that.’

Draco smiled. ‘Potter?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Er- thanks.’

Harry grinned. ‘Talk to her, Malfoy. That's the only advice I can give to you. Talk to her.’


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen. about halfway through editing this fanfiction i gave up and just started posting what 13 year old me wrote. this is the product. if you want to read my other stories with far better writing, check out my page! :-) thanku for reading. lots of love

It was the last day of the term, and the Gryffindor flag hung high in the air. Usually he would've felt sad that Slytherin had lost the House Cup, but he felt no attachment towards his house nowadays. All of his Slytherin friends had abandoned him.

Draco sat on his table, eating a slice of toast.

'Can I sit down?'

Draco looked up, to see Pansy. He hadn't spoken to her in what seemed like months. She looked different, older somehow. Her hair was longer, her face was fresher. And she held herself in a different way. She looked- happier.

He nodded, making space. 'Of course.'

She took a seat next to him, and picked up the remaining slice of his toast, turning it with her fingers. 'So- how have you been?'

Draco had absolutely no idea how to answer this. Of course, he wasn't completely okay. The girl that he loved more than anyone or anything wanted nothing to do with him. But despite that, he felt calm. He felt... okay.

'I'm alright,' He shrugged. 'How have you been?'

She smiled. 'I'm alright. I've been studying, and y'know... figuring some of my shit out.'

Draco frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'I mean, look at her,' Pansy said. 'She looks so pretty.'

'Who? Pansy, what-'

'-Ginny Weasley.'

They watched her sit down on the table, surrounded by her friends. He saw Harry, and he couldn't help but notice that the boy smiled at him. Draco couldn't help returning a smile feebly.

'Why are you smiling at Harry Potter?' Pansy laughed.

Draco blinked. 'I'm- I'm not. But- why- why were you telling me to look at Ginny? I thought you didn't like Ginny.'

'She's pretty.' Pansy repeated, shrugging.

Draco watched Ginny. 'Yeah, I guess she is.'

'No, I mean...' There was a glint in her eye. 'She's _pretty. Really, really_ pretty.'

'Oh- _oh!'_ Draco's eyes widened. 'You mean you're-?'

Pansy bit her lip. 'Yeah. Like that.'

He grinned. If Pansy had told him this at the beginning of the year, he would've been horrified. But now, he could only feel love. Lots and lots of love. Not even a twinge of anger that his ex-girlfriend was now attracted to girls. He felt so happy for her.

But he couldn't resist one thing. 'She's going out with Potter, you know.'

'For _now,_ you mean.' She laughed, taking a bite out of his toast.

'Pans?'

'Yeah?'

'Friends again?'

She put her head on his shoulder. 'You're my _best_ friend.'

'And you're getting crumbs all over my robes.'

She laughed, spraying more crumbs over him. 'What's up with you and Granger?'

He sighed. 'She won't talk to me.'

Pansy sat up properly, and jerked her head towards the Gryffindor table. 'Go talk to her.'

'What?' He rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, right. I _can't._ She'll send me away.'

'What's the harm in trying?'

'I-' He faltered. He looked over to the table. His heart gave a funny jolt, but this was common. He felt this every time he looked at her- she was the most beautiful girl in the world to him. He had to try. He _had_ to.

' _Fine,_ Pansy,' He said reluctantly, and stood up. 'I'll go.'

His seat scraped back as he stood up, causing the few people in the hall to look over at him- including Hermione. He took a few deep breaths, determined, and walked over. It was a long few moments, and Draco was nervous, more nervous than he'd ever been before. It was a tense few seconds.

 _This is going to be different,_ thought Draco to himself as he walked over to her table. Hermione looked at him, and if he hadn't known her well he would've ran away in that moment. But he could see in her eyes a glimmer, a flash of something- hope maybe. A smile crept onto his face.

'Er- Hermione- can we talk?'

_This time it'll be better._


End file.
